PETALING JAYA: The health ministry has offered advice to the many frontline health workers feeling experiencing burnout from the intensity and duration of their work in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic.
Health director general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said many medical frontliners were showing symptoms of extreme stress.
“This happens when they have to work with a commitment in excess of 100% for long periods of time. This has resulted in physical and mental fatigue that can disrupt the concentration and productivity of frontline workers in providing services to the community.”
Noor Hisham offered advice on self-care tips that can be practised by frontline workers to alleviate stress.
“Work effectively as a team to lighten the workload, always do a self-assessment to detect early signs of burnout, build good relationships between colleagues and family members, be willing to share and accept advice if you have problems, practice exercise and breathing control techniques, get sufficient rest and maintain a balanced diet.
He cited a study conducted this year found that 53.8% of the 893 health workers surveyed had reported signs of burnout.
“Most felt that they did not get adequate psychosocial support in the workplace, and among the factors that triggered burnout among health workers were the high workload, the uncertainty surrounding a long pandemic period, adapting to various SOPs, disrupted career plans and difficulty balancing family and work.”
He said the health ministry has been carrying out a variety of measures to preserve the mental health of health care workers, such as conducting mental health screenings, referring them to specialists if needed, and holding pre-deployment sessions to prepare them for the work ahead.
In addition, health workers have been given extra leave, debriefing sessions have been held upon completion of field work and staff have been rotated. - FMT
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